Regulation of Social Media

Social media has been in the news recently. These companies are unlikely to self-regulate when there is a profit motive, as we have learned from the water industry. They will be even less likely an imperative to self-regulate in a competitive environment, where such self regulation could lead to voluntary competitive disadvantage.

It is therefor of the utmost necessity to impose regulation on such companies so that no individual is at a competitive disadvantage by voluntary self-regulation. The regulations must apply to all to create a level playing field.

Those who argue against any form of regulation are either numbskulls or have a financial vested interest in deregulation.

BMW Design Fault

Yesterday I went to collect a rather aggressive sounding BMW 440 d from the BCA auction site in Paddock Wood, near Tonbridge, and nearly had a fatal accident.

I forgot I was driving a BMW and tried to pump my seat up with the lever on the right of the seat, forgetting that it's actually drops you down a good six inches while simultaneously thrusting you back a good six inches too when you pull it up, making you yank the wheel to the left in the process of doing a voyage to the bottom of the car, as you have only the left hand on the wheel when pulling on the seat lever. 

The result is that you can't see over the dashboard, you can't see through the rear view window, you can no longer reach the pedals and your lurching into another lane. Luckily there was no one in it, but it must have looked really strange to anybody behind me.

Unlike any other car, you can't pump the seat back up again without stopping the car and getting out to relieve the pressure on the seat, when the same lever makes the seat spring up.

It's undoubtedly a very dangerous BMW design fault and it's not the first time it has caught me out.

Stumbling Around

I think I've mentioned before that in the last 9 to 12 months, especially since having contracted Covid, I have found myself stumbling around rather more than usual. I put it down to ageing or an after-effect of Covid; however, I had a suspicion that my last set of spectacles may have been causing the problem, as I'd gone for the cheaper varifocal option which doesn't give as wide a varifocal view.

Anyway, I decided to order a new pair of specs from Glasses Direct. Perhaps I should have had another eye test before doing so, just in case the prescription had changed, but I was desperate to stop stumbling around. 

I went for the top spec, wide-angle in varifocals and, hey presto, no more stumbling around. Driving is also a lot less fraught, as I have a wider angle of clear vision at junctions and when coming out of our drive. 

One thing I have noticed of late is that I have become a lot less confident when reversing in cars, but that might be a learned habit from having worn poor varifocals for a considerable period of time.

Twirly

I went on public transport yesterday - got a bus from Chipping Sodbury to Bristol Parkway rail station. It was only the 2nd time I've ever attempted to use my Diamond Travel Card.

I presented my card to the card reader and the bus driver rudely called me a Twirly. Apparently pensioners who use their travel cards before off-peak are too early, hence Twirly. I wasn't aware they can only be used at off-peak times. Luckily fares are still capped at £2.

I was going to Bedford to collect a car from the auction and went through London, travelling for the first time ever on the new Elizabeth line. Spotted this and wasn't sure whether it was ghosts, the result of a nuclear flash or just dirt from people. Nasty!

Allegedly it's caused by people leaning back and damaging the paintwork. 

When I got on the ThamesLink train at Farringdon I saw the following signage on the overhead display system:

I somehow don't think British Transport Police would be interested in me telling them about the current government...

Better Panels

The outer mudguards arrived from Rimmer's and, on reflection, I'm glad I ordered them. 

In the first photo below you can see where the new panel attaches to the old inner mudguard panel.

Below is a comparison of the old and new panels.

You can see from the raggy edge of the original that repairing the mudguards with bits of mild steel would have been a bloody nightmare and there's no guarantee that the repaired sections would have fitted snugly over the outer wing repair section.

In the photos above you can see how well the two panels go together - again, not spoiling the ship for a hap'orth of tar.

Below is the n/s headlamp cowl which will replace the rotten one underneath. The flange on the rear of the repair panel attaches to the front of the above mudguard panel to hold the whole caboodle in place rigidly.

I really need some warm weather to continue with the bonnet.

Carrying Knives

I was listening to a tiny woman justifying driving a huge 4 x 4. She said that she felt safer in it.

It struck me that this is exactly the motivation a lot of kids have for carrying knives - they simply feel safer having one.

It wasn't until the mid 19th century that men stopped carrying swords completely, although it started dying out in the late 18th century. Why did they carry swords? Because others did and it was a form of self protection against those who did.

Swords died out because they became useless against the rise in gun ownership. Maybe that's the route out of knife crime - a government scheme to swap them for guns....

Bad Review

Remember I said I'd found a replacement drone on e-Bay for the one I ditched in a lake? Well, I made a bid on it and the bid was accepted at around 11am on Friday before last. On the Friday evening the owner contacted me to say he'd only just realised that e-Bay took a large slice and could I cancel the purchase. More likely, he'd realised he could have sold it for more. The figure of commission he said he'd have to pay was double what it actually is.

It being more than 60 minutes after the purchase, there was no way I could accomplish this and told him that he should have read the terms and conditions before putting it up for sale and he was thus obligated to sell it to me at the agreed price. He suggested we meet up to conclude the sale, but he lives at the other end of the country and what he suggested was contrary to e-Bay policy anyway.

The next morning I received a message from him saying he'd accidentally crashed the drone. I wonder why I was expecting this or some other disaster to befall the drone so that it didn't have to leave his possession?

Anyway, I told him to cancel the sale, but there was an audit trail of messages that gave the game away. He's going to get a bad review and, given the audit trail, I would imagine he'll get a ban from e-Bay.

I raised a flag with e-Bay for a refund, but I'm still waiting for my money back and can proceed no further till the 6th Feb, when I can ask e-Bay to intervene and refund me under their guarantee scheme.

I wouldn't mind, but in the intervening week and a bit I've lost out on bidding for other drones.

Tool Wars

Toolstation can certainly teach Screwfix a thing or two about customer service.

You can order something on-line with Toolstation and you'll be presented with a text within half an hour of ordering it, telling you it's available for collection - invariably I can order something online and leave the house immediately, certain in the knowledge that whatever I ordered will be available for collection by the time I reach my local depot. You can even order something overnight and virtually guarantee it will be available for collection at opening time - 7am (9am Sunday).

With Screwfix you're lucky if you get a notification within 6 hours.

GT6 Bonnet Update

Seems I ordered the wrong panels from Rimmer's but, as it happens, the panels I had ordered were better than the panels I thought I'd ordered - they are the full headlamp cowl panels, rather than just the bases.

No wonder they were somewhat more expensive than what I was expecting.

I've also decided that, rather than bodging the outer wheel arch panels, I'd order the full half wheel arch for both sides, making for a much cleaner job. £160 for both sides, which is not at all unreasonable. 

Buggering about with homemade inserts, while a nice challenge, is impractical when there are complete repair panels available. They'll be arriving Monday, but I should have ordered them with the headlamp panels to save on postage.

As soon as we get a spot of warmer weather, I'll get all the paint off the bonnet before putting all the relevant panels into position. 

The last order came with a free catalogue, so hopefully that will prevent me ordering the wrong parts in future. GT6 porn!

I've spent just over a grand so far, with another £125 on ancillaries (primer, welding wire, etc.). I still have another £1,600 to spend on the bodywork (stainless steel bumpers, chrome finishers, etc.). God alone knows how much putting the engine, suspension, loom, etc. back into operation will cost. Then there's the spraying, which I estimate at about £1,000 for a really good job at mates' rates through a friend in the trade (I will have done all the priming).

Yiddish

I've just finished a book by Jewish, Romanian author, Mihail Sebastian, about his experiences of anti-Semitism in Romania in the lead up to WWII. He died at a relatively young age in a car accident just after WWII. The book was a Christmas present from No.2 Son. 

In one chapter he decries the selection of Hebrew in preference to Yiddish for the language of the new state of Israel. 

Yiddish is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews, which emerged in Central Europe. It originated in the 9th century, drawing its core structure from Middle High German, but also incorporating elements from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Slavic languages. This blend gave Yiddish its distinctive character, with a vocabulary that often reflects its diverse roots. It is predominantly written in Hebrew characters, although Latinised script is sometimes used. 

Sebastian's arguments run thus:

He viewed Yiddish as a more dynamic and expressive language compared to Hebrew, which he saw as primarily liturgical and formal. He emphasised Yiddish's ability to capture the nuances of everyday life and Jewish humor. He also highlighted the historical significance of Yiddish as the vernacular language of Eastern European Jewry, arguing that it embodied a rich cultural heritage that deserved recognition in the context of a new Israel. It was the result of lived lives.

Sebastian believed that Yiddish represented a specific Jewish identity distinct from the religious connotations associated with Hebrew. He saw it as a language grounded in diaspora experience and secular life, potentially offering a counterpoint to the dominant Zionist narrative focused on ancient Hebrew and religious revival. He viewed Yiddish as a bridge between different Jewish communities, both geographically and culturally, potentially fostering unity and inclusivity in the new Israeli society. 

His preference for Yiddish could be interpreted as a critique of the dominant Zionist ideology, which prioritized Hebrew as the official language and emphasized a return to biblical roots. He implicitly challenged the notion of a singular, homogenous Jewish identity and advocated for the recognition of diversity within the community. His suggestion also carried social implications, as Yiddish was largely associated with the working class and Eastern European Jewish communities. His preference could be seen as advocating for their inclusion and representation in the emerging Israeli society. 

It's hard to argue against that.